Hours before six party talks begin in Switzerland, Iran’s Defense Minister has issued a military and economic threat against the United States.
Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi stated the he is prepared to attack US military bases in the region and cut-off nearly 50% of the worlds oil supply by engaging the United States Navy in the Persian Gulf.
From Iran’s Fars News Agency;
Iran has warned that in case of an attack by either the US or Israel, it will target 32 American bases in the Middle East and close the strategic Strait of Hormoz.
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Update: Fars News article now translated.
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Kristofer Lorelli can be contacted at lorville@rogers.com, on Facebook and Twitter/Kris_Lorelli
September 30th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
France Toughens Stance on Iran
Sarkozy’s Sharp Tone Hints at Impatience Over Nuclear Standoff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093004757_pf.html
Possibility of a Nuclear-Armed Iran Alarms Arabs
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/world/middleeast/01arabs.html?pagewanted=print
Iranian Statement May Offer Window Into Nuclear Efforts
They were two words heard round the world by the intelligence experts and atomic inspectors who are trying to decipher the riddle of the Iranian nuclear program. On Monday evening, the chief of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, told Iranian state television that he and his colleagues were “working out a timetable for the inspection” of the just revealed nuclear site outside the holy city of Qum. Then Mr. Salehi said he was preparing a letter for international inspectors in Vienna “about the location of the facility,” adding, cryptically, “and others.” That got everyone’s attention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/world/middleeast/01diplo.html?pagewanted=print
Ahmadinejad: Iran will allow 3rd party to enrich its uranium
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254163553656&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
On the Eve of Talks, Iranian Makes a Washington Visit
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/world/middleeast/01nuke.html?hp=&pagewanted=print
Chinese oil demand fueling Iranian defiance
Despite tough talk from Washington, China needs Iran’s oil too much to support sanctions that might actually bite.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/30/news/international/Iran_oil/index.htm?postversion=2009093011
Poll: 56% of American Jews think U.S. should strike Iran
36 percent of those polled were against such an attack. Asked whether Israel should attack Iran, 66 percent of those polled said they would support such a move. The poll also revealed that 51 percent of those polled oppose Obama’s call on Israel to freeze all settlement construction (as opposed to 41 percent in favor.)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1117995.html
September 30th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Entirely predictable, I’m afraid. You show signs of weakness. Bad guys become bolder.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
mark;
When the French begin to think of you as a coward…you are in trouble.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Is Iran’s Defense Minister the new Baghdad Bob?
October 1st, 2009 at 12:23 am
Well, its looking like there’s no good options left, only degrees of bad.
If only there would have been some way to affect internal change in Iran, by supporting some group of, oh, I don’t know, pro democracy protesters or dissidents or something on those lines. Maybe even encourage a few Iranians who might have already been doing just that. Something along those lines. Oh well, its a completely off topic point anyway.
October 1st, 2009 at 12:24 am
Maybe when the first missile hits, Obama will start to question his dubious approach to international diplomacy—to say nothing of his decision to eliminate our missile defense program (assuming he survives the first strike, that is).
October 1st, 2009 at 12:31 am
BTW, the fact that 56% of American Jews think the U.S. should strike Iran is hilarious! MORE than 56% of American Jews voted to put Obama in office!! If they wanted us to strike Iran, they should have voted for somebody who cares whether Israel survives or not.
October 1st, 2009 at 1:12 am
Are we allowed to put this on our facebook site? I would just love to get this out there to all those folks who have their heads in the sand.
October 1st, 2009 at 2:17 am
US should close most of those military bases, and take a non-interventionist stance on foreign policy.
Fact is, no country or group can hurt us at any significant level. We are incredibly safe here, in terms of foreign threats.
BTW, I love how many people are buying into Iran’s rhetoric. It’s hilarious how so many people fall for it.
October 1st, 2009 at 2:59 am
It is a strange world when the President of France wants to be tougher with Iran than the so called “leader of the free world” , strange indeed !
October 1st, 2009 at 4:10 am
Kevin why are you here? This is a centre right site in case you didn’t get the memo!
October 1st, 2009 at 5:38 am
Iran waited until Bush was out of office before he started all this trouble….He wouldn’t have attempted it when Bush was President.
Obama didn’t have what it takes…he should have taken those missiles out when they began short range testing, now it’s too late…. Our National Security and our economy rely on the free flow of oil, it’s tough times ahead for the U.S.
Kevin: We had that policy in the 30′s and the 40′s and it gave birth to Hitler and WW2.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:15 am
Would Iran really be stupid enough to attack our bases if Israel strikes their nuke plants? Iran actually has a real army, with real hardware, and real estate that they defend. That’s the kind of war where we mop up. And if Iran strikes us first, they may not get the rally-round-the-flag sentiment from their people that they would get if we struck them first. It could very well be the end of the reign of the Ayatollahs.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:31 am
This is what we get with a weak leader.
October 1st, 2009 at 7:51 am
These are going to be the longest three years of my entire 4-decade life!!!!!
October 1st, 2009 at 8:38 am
#9 “BTW, I love how many people are buying into Iran’s rhetoric. It’s hilarious how so many people fall for it.”
Are you proposing our position on this is to sit back, chuckle a little, and say “Oh, they don’t REALLY mean it!” You realize, of course, that acting in such a way just encourages other nations to do the same, with an escalation to the point where virtually ALL nations would bluster. The strong ones (think China and Russia) wil take it that we’re soft, and will back up their threats with land grabs (think Georgia for Russia, Taiwan for China). You are then in a position of either accepting their decisions to continue to grab more and more land, or confront them in a world war. This isn’t a fanciful, unrealistic view of what might happen. We’ve seen it happen in the past.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:33 am
Kevin,
The timing of this statement is the issue. This is a slap in the face to Obama and the United States ahead of the six party talks.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:39 am
“US should close most of those military bases, and take a non-interventionist stance on foreign policy.”
And leave China and Russia to enforce their will around the world instead? Because THAT will serve the interests of freedom and democracy.
Face it, there’s going to be a global police man – their has to be someone to take care of global trouble makers, and if its not us, it will be either China or Russia. Is anyone really comfortable with that?
As for the Iran threat – perhaps its time the US makes it clear that our nuclear arsenal is not out of reach of the President if Iran attacks.
October 1st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Let’s take Vahidi seriously, as a junior official in the Iranian Guard, he was involved with Hezbollah’s terrorist campaign in Lebanon, he’s one of the eight officials tied to Buenos Aires bombing in ’94. Now imagine him with access to nuclear weapons
October 1st, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I imagine its a bluff to get Israel to put pressure from the USA against Israel attacking them. You’d think they kind of like the whole idea of controling Iran, and want to keep it that way.